| Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City |
| No. of offices | 10 total, 5 international |
| No. of attorneys | 817 (2011) |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Key people | Philip T. (Pete) Ruegger III, Executive Committee Chairman[1] |
| Revenue | $801 million |
| Date founded | 1884 |
| Founder | John W. Simpson, Thomas Thacher and William M. Barnum |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | |
| www.stblaw.com | |
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a law firm headquartered in New York City which employs over 800 attorneys in ten offices worldwide. The firm is highly regarded[2] for its litigation and corporate practices, with special attention focused on its mergers and acquisitions specialty. Simpson Thacher is consistently among the most profitable large law firms in the world on a per-partner basis according to the American Lawyer’s annual AmLaw 100 Survey. For 2011, Simpson Thacher was ranked #6 on The Vault’s Top 100 Most Prestigious Law Firm Rankings, and #1 in Private Equity. The firm is also recognized in various other surveys, including Vault.com’s 2010 review of the 20 Best Law Firms to Work For.
The firm has relationships with private equity firms Blackstone Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and it has longstanding ties to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and the United States Department of the Treasury.[3]
Contents |
John W. Simpson, Thomas Thacher and William M. Barnum organized the firm as "Simpson, Thacher & Barnum" on January 1, 1884, with offices at 9 Pine Street.[4] The three were formerly law clerks at the old-line firm Alexander & Green. The first associate salary was ten dollars, and the first retainer fee was fifty dollars.[4]
In 1889, the name was changed to "Reed Simpson Thacher & Barnum" when former U.S. House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed joined the firm. Reed died in 1902, and the name was soon changed to Simpson Thacher Barnum & Bartlett. The final change came in 1904 when it was amended to its current name of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
From its original location at 9 Pine Street, the firm has operated at many offices throughout New York City until finally settling at its present location at 425 Lexington Avenue opposite Grand Central Terminal. The firm also has offices at the Chrysler Building across the street.
In 2007, Simpson Thacher led the market[5] by raising the base salary for first-year associates to $160,000 per year.[6] In the process, it established the market salary for all of its peer firms in New York City.[7]
Simpson Thacher is consistently among the most profitable large law firms in the world on a per-partner basis according to the American Lawyer’s annual AmLaw 100 Survey. The firm is also recognized in various other surveys, including Vault.com’s 2010 review of the 20 Best Law Firms to Work For.
Simpson Thacher lawyers have included U.S. Senators, Solicitors General, a Speaker of the House of Representatives, a Secretary of State, a Secretary of the Army, Ambassadors, Judges on U.S. Circuit and District Courts and the New York State Court of Appeals, presidents of the American Bar Association, and presidents of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.